Lipper
GOLD MEMBER
597 posts
Jan 31, 2010
6:45 PM
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Mike Trevis
The Bigger the Dream the Bigger the Leap
I have come to the conclusion that we had it right in training young birds back in the 80's....
Free Fly...Free Fly..Free Fly
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donnie james
913 posts
Jan 31, 2010
9:29 PM
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hay mike
if i read your post right you free loft your birds right?????????/
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Donny James
"Fly The Best And Cull The Rest"
"Saying One Thing;Doing Its Another"
"Keep Your Head Planted In The Sky And Wings Spanned Wide"
1996 Piedmont Roller Club Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Portsmouth Roller Club Participation Award System Recipient 1994 '96 '97 And 2000
2001 Limestone,Ohio Sportsman's Club Lifetime Member Recipient
2002Portsmouth Roller Club Certified Judge
2004Portsmouth Roller Club Lifetime Member Recipient
"Miss Portsmouth"NBRC/90/J311 Rusty Dun Check Self Hen First Bird To Get Certified In Portsmouth Roller Club History With A Score Of 53 Judge By Joe Roe The 1993 World Cup Winner And John Bender The 1994 World Cup Winner
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rtwilliams
GOLD MEMBER
573 posts
Feb 01, 2010
7:34 AM
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Mike
If you mean just let them out all day. I agree. I have had some young stiff birds, which just would not do anything. I had something come up while flying them one day and had to leave them out for 4 hours or so. When I got back a few hours later they were still flying around and had started to flip. From then on they progressed and started to roll.
It could have been a coincident, but I think it actually helped them. Of course I was new and no hawk was around harassing them if left out. Now I have a Coopers that checks on me from time to time. And if I leave a bird out, he typically isn’t their in a few hours, and I am lock down for two weeks.
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RT Williams
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winwardrollers
411 posts
Feb 01, 2010
9:49 AM
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Free flying is not a good Idea.
It will cause problem with Neighbors, Bop, Habits you are teaching the birds.
A lot of air time is good for young kits, you can fly two or three times a day for a few weeks to get the birds in a routine.
Bwinward
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Lipper
GOLD MEMBER
603 posts
Feb 01, 2010
11:15 AM
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Mike Trevis
The Bigger the Dream the Bigger the Leap
I dont have any neighbors to worry about and very few hawk problems. I have had no problems with the birds sitting in trees or on the house. I lock them up at night and tun them loose in the morning. When I am ready to fly the older kits I shake the feed can and lock the young birds up first.
I had problems with kitting, skying out, and flying as individuals rather than as a kit. I noticed a huge change in the first couple of weeks, so I continued this for a good 2-2 1/2 months. I used to start young birds like this all the time and then changed to flying them once or twice a day. Unfortunately my shedule does not always allow me to fly my kits multiple times per day. I really believe that young birds need as much feed and flying as possible to mature correctly. I do fly my old birds and then trap them in again.
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gotspin7
2639 posts
Feb 01, 2010
4:28 PM
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I agree with Winward. Good luck! Mine do well with frijoles y arroz. Just a FYI...lol
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Salvador Ortiz
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macsrollers
263 posts
Feb 04, 2010
9:12 PM
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I agree with Brian. The best way to train young birds is to keep them totally in your control with the feed can. The best way to not lose them is to get them out at 5 weeks and no later then 6. The first several times you actually give them freedom to fly you don't want them to actually fly much at all. You want them to go up briefly and learn how and where to land and then trap back in. After about a week of this then they will either start flying longer on their own or you can flag them up. Keeping control of the feed can allows you to do this several times a day at the start. Consistency is feed and flying is key to the development of a young kit. To let them hang out for 1/2 a day teachs them that there are other places to land and hang out, and also other places to find food- either on the ground or where ever. Or also could attract the hawks dependent on where you live. To each your own. I have learned the hard way that patience and control is key to the early and even later stages of flying rollers. My experience may not be the same as yours, I am just sharing so perhaps it helps a few not have to learn as hard as way as I did as I had no other fliers in my area when I initially started with rollers. All my early experiences were by the hard school of knocks, word of mouth, and reading. Enjoy your next fly1 Don M. LVRC
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